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Let the PS3 Price Gouging Begin!

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, Hot Deals, PlayStation 3, Release Dates,

PS3 Ebay Screenshot

We all knew it was coming eventually… with a limited supply of only 400,000 units in the States, it was only a question of when Mr. Supply would meet Mr. Demand and chaos would ensue.

Today, EB / Gamestop began taking pre-orders for the hulking, wallet-emptying console via a $100 deposit system. But with only an average of 6 consoles allocated per store, only the first few lucky customers in line will have the privelege of giving Gamestop $100 for a piece of paper that *might* get you a console at launch. Unless, of course, the store employees got there first. Thanks to EB / Gamestop’s store policies, each store employee was able to reserve themselves one PS3 console before the public even had a chance at them.

So what do we get out of all this? Well, a day of exciting blogging, some preposterous eBay listings, and a sinking feeling in our bank accounts.

Gallery: Let the PS3 Price Gouging Begin!


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PS3 Games May Empty What’s Left of Your Bank Account

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 3, Rumors,

PS3 = Expensive If you’re planning on buying a PS3 at launch, chances are money isn’t a problem for you. So it won’t matter that now IGN is reporting that PS3 games may retail for around $75 - $85 USD. This is right in line with earlier comments from Kaz Hirai earlier, so you can’t exactly say they didn’t warn you. Still, it might be quite a shock to those of you out there that just barely scraped together the cash for a console.

The economics of the PS3 are not looking good right now - Sony has already agreed to take a loss on the console (which some analysts put at up to $300 / unit), so their main source of recouping money is by charging royalties for publishing titles on the console. But with game developers spending more and more to develop next-gen games, studios need to make a fair amount of money off of each title sold. Given that, Sony is quite reluctant to put too much financial pressure on studios and thereby alienate their already cash-strapped supporters. For Sony, this means either 1) not making any money or 2) raising the prices of games.

Update: Sony has clarified the pricing for PS3 games, stating that games will retail for up to $59.99 in the states, which is the same as titles for the Xbox 360. See the SonyStyle store here

Read More | IGN.com

Gallery: PS3 Games May Empty What’s Left of Your Bank Account


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